March heralds the beginning of spring so it is a month welcomed by almost everyone. It is also a busy month full of events and activities including Easter to keep everyone busy and entertained. We certainly have lots to keep us all busy this month here at Our Lady's!

It is the month which brought us St David’s Day on the 1st of the month and will herald St Patrick's Day on the 17th. World Book Day is on the 3rd March. Celebrated in over 100 countries around the globe it is a day which marks literacy and the wonder and enjoyment that come from the pages of a book. The 6th March is also Mothering Sunday when we remember Mums everywhere, whether they are still with us or not. The end of the month brings Easter when we remember the amazing sacrifice that Jesus made - he gave his life because he loves us so much.

World Book Day – 3rd March

Today - World Book Day, celebrates authors, illustrators and books. It is the biggest celebration of its kind, designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading. It is marked in over 100 countries all over the world. The main aim of World Book Day in the UK and Ireland is to encourage children to explore the pleasures of books and reading. We have had an amazing day at Our Lady's. The children had a wonderful day and all worked together in a very special way! Well done everyone!

Mothering Sunday – 6th March

The roots of Mother’s Day go back as far as ancient Greece, where Greeks had an annual spring festival dedicated to the maternal Goddess; Rhea, mother of the Gods. However we all have Anna Jarvis to thank for the modern Mother’s Day celebrations. After the death of her own mother she began a campaign to have one day of the year set aside to recognise and appreciate the role of mothers. In 1914, US Congress granted her wish proclaiming Mother’s Day as a national holiday. Other countries followed suit by celebrating Mothers Day, though not necessarily by having a national holiday.

8th March - 'Midsummer Night's Dream'

The children from our amazing Shakespeare club will be taking part in a wonderful performance of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' supported by the Royal Shakespeare Company. This is an incredible opportunity for our school and we are so proud of how hard our children and staff have worked in supporting the children in this very ambitious event. I know parents and families will be as proud as we all are when you see the performance at the Grand Theatre on Tuesday evening. Good Luck everyone!

14th March

One of Our Lady's favourite visitors - Dan Worsley will be coming in to judge a writing competition and speaking to the children about his latest work!

St Patricks Day – 17th March

Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is said to have brought Christianity to Ireland. He was born in Wales somewhere around AD 385. Early stories about St Patrick claim that he was carried off by pirates and spent six years in slavery before escaping and training as a missionary. St. Patrick is most known for his driving the snakes from Ireland. It is said that St Patrick stood on a hill and using a drum he banged so hard that the noise hurt the ears of the snakes and they slithered into the sea to escape. Another legend says that the snakes resisted so St. Patrick then tricked them into entering a small box and cast them into the sea. Whichever legend you believe, it is true that Ireland has no snakes!

He died on 17th March in AD 461 and this day has since been commemorated as St. Patrick’s Day. St Patrick’s Day is marked by the wearing of shamrocks, the national emblem of both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Also on this day at 6pm - Our children undertaking the Sacramental Programme will be making their First Confessions (or Reconciliation) at church. This is a wonderful experience for the children and means that they are preparing fully to receive their First Holy Communion later on this year. We hope families will be able to join us on this very special evening.

During Lent the children have been thinking about how they can prepare themselves for the great celebration of Easter; some by giving things up, some by doing some 'little extra's' but all ways that we can think about the great sacrifice that Jesus made for us. In our last week in school before Easter, we will be thinking about Jesus' journey to the cross and the great love he showed for us all. This will lead us into Holy Week.

We will be holding our reflective assemblies to remind ourselves of the solemn events which led to Jesus' death on the cross

Friday 18th March -2.30pm Palm Liturgy in church KS1

Monday 21st March -9.15am - Year 3 Assembly – Last Supper

Tuesday 22nd March -9.15am - Year 4 Assembly – Garden of Gethsemane

Wednesday 23rd March -9.15am - Year 5 Assembly – crucifixion

Thursday 24th March – 9.15am - Year 6 Assembly – The Resurrection

We break up for Easter at 2pm on Thursday 24th March

Good Friday – 25th March

Easter is the most important festival in our Christian calendar. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, three days after he was executed. The Easter story is at the heart of Christianity. Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Sunday. It commemorates Jesus' crucifixion and great sacrifice for all of us. Some people believe Good Friday was originally called God’s Friday, which, over the years, became its present name.

Good Friday is a day of reflection in the Christian church. During special Good Friday services Christians remember Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross, and what this means for their faith. In some countries, there are Good Friday processions, or re-enactments of the Crucifixion. At Our Lady of the Assumption we will remember Jesus' death when we venerate the cross at a service and then mass beginning at 3pm.

Easter Sunday – 27th March

Easter Sunday marks Jesus’ resurrection. After Jesus was crucified on Good Friday, his body was taken down from the cross, and placed in a tomb. The tomb was guarded by Roman Soldiers and an enormous stone was put over the entrance, so that no-one could steal the body. Yet when Mary Magdalene visited the tomb on Easter Sunday she found that the stone had been moved, and that Jesus’ body had gone. Jesus appeared to his apostles for 40 days, giving many proofs that he was alive. Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on this day in the belief that everybody will be resurrected.

The custom of giving eggs at Easter has long been associated with celebrating new life.

At Our Lady's we wish all our children and families a blessed and holy Easter 2016

Our Lady’s aim is to provide happy, secure and exciting learning opportunities and hope that we can work together to achieve the best for your child, and look forward to working in partnership with you.